Team of the Week: Stanford

In the toughest conference in
college basketball, road wins separate the top of the Pac-10 from those simply
vying for a NCAA berth.
Stanford (18-3, 7-2 in the Pac-10) came into this week ranked, but with a
less than ambitious non-conference schedule that included a loss to Siena.
Questions remained whether Stanford was a true threat to the top of the
conference.

Stanford started their week by
crushing the Washington Huskies, a feat that in and of itself has become rather
mundane since the departure of Brandon Roy. However, the Huskies have proven
difficult to beat at home and the Cardinals delivered the Huskies their biggest
home loss in five years, 65-51. Jon Brockman, with the face of a pugilist and
the intensity to match, has single handedly willed the Huskies up to the verge
of relevance in the Pac-10. But his sheer will was not enough to stop Brook
Lopez. With superior size and athleticism Lopez dominated Brockman, scoring a
career high 31 points, securing 13 boards, and blocking three shots.

Next, Stanford headed to the other
half of the state, where the Governor had declared a state of emergency due to
record snow fall, to take on ninth-ranked Washington State. The Cougars had
lost at home earlier in the week to Cal and were attempting to keep second year
coach Tony Bennett from having his first ever losing streak. Reeling from the
surprise of the previous loss, the Cougars managed a five point lead in the
first half. However, Stanford once again dominated the post, holding the
rapidly improving (and worst facial haired Washington hoops player since Adam
Morrison) Wazzu big man Aaron Baynes to three points and two rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Stanford front line of B. Lopez, Robin Lopez, and Lawrence Hill
proved too much for the foul plagued Baynes and the undersized but resilient
Robbie Cowgill. B. Lopez scored most of his team high 18 points from the free
throw line, while also rejecting five shots. It took overtime, but Stanford
completed the road sweep by beating a veteran team in a hostile environment.

Stanford has powered into sole
possession of second place in the Pac 10, one game back of UCLA. With
consistent post production and stifling defense, Stanford has the components of
a team primed for a deep March run.

HONORABLE MENTION:

California (13-7, 4-5 in the
Pac-10), Stanford’s travel partner, completed the same road sweep as Stanford.
Although, instead of claiming sole possession of second place they clawed their
way out of the cellar and into the conversation as one of six teams in the
Pac-10 with either a 5-4 or 4-5 conference record.

Kansas State (15-5, 5-1 in the Big
12) handed Kansas their first loss, then choked against a diluted Missouri team,
thus saving me from feeling guilty for choosing a west coast team as the team of
the week.

SPONSORS

About Jacob White

ColumnistLeft Coast Report

Contactjacobbwhite@gmail.com

Background

Jacob White is an attorney in Olympia, WA. He earned a JD from Gonzaga School of Law, a BA in English from Central Washington University, and is working towards a MFA in creative non-fiction from Pacific University. He was a contributing writer for The Local Planet, an alt-weekly in Spokane, WA, and an editor for his college newspaper, The Observer.